365 Days At War

by Nancy Isaak

  “Jay’s with Porter at the Medical Center. I figured that she’s probably safe with him. And since I’m out in the open—no problem, right?”

  Jacob laughed. “Porter will probably talk Jay’s ear off about this drug or that procedure.”

  “More likely, it’ll be the other way around,” I predicted. “Jay’s been a pretty smart doctor to us and, even though she’s shy about everything else, she’s got lots of opinions about medicine…and science…and space.”

  “There you go, two peas in a pod. Porter and Jay—who’d a thunk—looks like they’re made for each other.”

  “That Connor kid—seems like he’s pretty smart, too.”

  “Another resident genius. He’s got this ability with spatial recognition, something like that. It’s like he can see all sorts of stuff at the same time and make sense out of it all.”

  “Like how to place the guys to rescue us up in the football field?”

  “Exactly.”

  I took a sip of the lemonade. It was warm—but good.

  “Did you guys give any thought as to who you want on the Council?” Jacob asked.

  “We took a vote this morning,” I told him. “They elected me.”

  “Figured as much,” Jacob nodded. “Well, we have our meetings most days up in that room on the second floor—the one I showed you guys on the tour.”

  “I remember. Any particular time?”

  “Usually after lunch. Will there be any problem with that? I know that you and Jay are paired up for security right now. Maybe she can work with Porter in the Medical Center while you meet with the Council.”

  “Sure. That works for me.”

  He cleared his throat. “Um…I’d also like to assign some guys to guard you.”

  “I thought you already did.”

  “That was just for last night. But I’d like each of you girls to have at least one guy to shadow you—kind of like your own armed guard. I promise that they won’t bother or try to tell you what to do. It’s just for protection.”

  I sighed. “Well, I guess that makes sense—for the time being. And, at least, that way, we wouldn’t have to walk around with weapons all the time. If you want, we could probably set up some more beds in the guest house. They could stay there. That might make things simpler.”

  “The guest house?”

  “Don’t worry,” I assured him. “Whatever Brandon did in the guest house in your world somehow didn’t make it into this one.”

  Jacob shook his head. “Man, this all makes my brain hurt, you know. I just can’t figure it out.”

  “I know,” I chuckled. “Jay says that it’s because time went all wibbly wobbly, timey wimey.”

  “That’s exactly what Porter says!”

  We both laughed.

  “Looks like you’re right,” I said. “They’re definitely meant for each other.”

  * * * *

  That night, we girls assembled on the roof of our house, watching as our new residents climbed over the gate with their guns and their sleeping bags.

  “And we each have our own guards,” marveled Cammie. “Our own little warrior-slaves.”

  “Two for each of us,” I said. “But they’re not your slaves. And you can’t give them orders.”

  “Dang it,” she said, grinning.

  “What if we don’t want some guy trailing us all around?” asked Cherry.

  “Then, you stay in the house or on the property,” I said. “Although this place is so big, there’s a good chance that they’ll follow you around here, too.”

  “Great,” she moaned, unhappy. “So, what happens when we have to visit the foul area?”

  “I’m sure we can figure it out,” I said. “We’ll make some rules with them—places where they’re not allowed to follow us.”

  “What about me?” asked Shawnee. “They can’t come to the Raiders with me.”

  “Of course not,” I agreed. “But they might walk with you over to the compound and then wait until you’re back from training.”

  Shawnee didn’t look particularly happy about that. “They better not get me kicked out of the Raiders.”

  “Dude, you’ve got no worries,” Cammie told her. “Those guys are lucky to have you on their team and they know it.”

  “Well, I’m going to be working with Porter in the Medical Center,” said Jay, “and my guard is welcome to follow me anywhere. Frankly, it will make me feel more secure. I don’t like how some of the guys keep staring. It’s creepy.”

  “They’re just interested, that’s all,” I said. “They haven’t seen girls in a year. They’ll get over it.”

  “They better,” said Cherry. “Because if it gets ugly, I’m getting out of here.”

  I looked over at her—shocked.

  “Just saying,” she continued. “And if I’m going—then Shawnee goes with me. Because there’s no way I’m leaving her here alone.”

  “But I like the Raiders!” protested Shawnee. “I’m their bow sniper.”

  Down below, the guards had reached the house. One of them—Nate—looked up and saw us watching. He gave a wave, motioning for me to come down.

  “I’ve got to go talk security,” I told them. To Cherry, I said, “Nobody’s going anywhere. It’ll work out just fine, you’ll see.”

  * * * *

  I spent the remainder of the evening, showing Nate the grounds and working out how and where the guards would protect us. There were twelve guys assigned to us—two to each girl. The guys would rotate—one in the daytime, the other in the evening.

  My guards were Nate and another kid I hadn’t met before—Erroll—a 17-year old African-American from Idaho, who had only been with the Locals for about three months.

  At first, my guys had planned to walk ten feet behind me—to stay out of my way—but I told them that I thought that would be both embarrassing and stupid. As far as I was concerned, they could do their jobs just as well, standing right next to me.

  “It’s just that Jacob didn’t want us to be a bother to you girls,” explained Nate.

  “It’s not going to be a bother,” I insisted. “But if you walk behind us, it’ll look weird. Like you’re our servants or something.”

  “Well, we are your guards.”

  “And I’m one of your Council members and Jay is your doctor and Shawnee is your bow-sniper. We’ve all got our own jobs, but our positions don’t make any of us better than the other. So, if you want to guard me, I suggest you and Erroll stand beside me.”

  Nate chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?” I asked, a little irritated.

  “It’s just…well…I’d love to stand beside you—but I don’t know how happy that will make Jacob.”

  “You leave Jacob to me,” I growled.

  If anything, that made Nate chuckle even louder.

  * * * *

  My first Council meeting was the next day.

  Jacob, Porter, Josh, Kieran, and I met in the room next to the second floor landing. When I saw Porter enter, I must have looked worried, because he immediately put up his hands. “It’s okay. Jay is with Connor. Plus Harry is sitting in the corner with a gun, watching her every move.”

  I immediately relaxed.

  There were small pastries on the table, the type that gas stations have in cellophane packs below the counter. I picked one up and searched for a best by date, wondering how many preservatives the pastry must contain that it actually hadn’t gone bad in over a year.

  “They’re good,” Josh assured me. “I’ve already had two.”

  As I opened one, Jacob took his place at the head of the table. Meanwhile, Kieran and Porter sat across from me, Josh beside me.

  “First business—like always—is the safety of the tribe,” began Jacob. “Sentries have reported that Crazies have been seen creeping through the hills in a number of places, some as far south as Encinal Canyon, just below Mulholland Highway.”

  “Looks like they’re back in business,” sighed Josh. “Guess i
t was too much to hope that their tribe would fall apart.”

  Kieran leaned back in his chair. “We’ve got two Alpha Teams out—one heading up the fire road toward Rancho Sierra Vista, the other pushing down the coast toward Malibu City Hall.”

  “City Hall?” Jacob didn’t like this one bit.

  “We’re just seeing how close the Crazies are on each side of us. The Alphas know not to engage. They’re just there to find out where the Crazies are and report back to us.”

  “Good,” said Jacob, turning to Porter. “What about the ropes and boats that we talked about before I left? Did you guys get that done? Because if the Crazies come at us, we might have to get down those cliffs quickly and onto the water.”

  Porter nodded, handing Jacob a paper. “The rope ladder positions are marked on this map. Plus, there are boats at the bottom of the cliff at each of the locations. It’s not enough for all the guys, yet, but we’re getting there.”

  “I want it understood by everybody,” said Jacob. “We go down those ropes, the girls get in the boats first.”

  “That’s not fair,” I piped up. “We don’t want any special treatment just because we’re girls.”

  “This isn’t about getting special treatment,” said Jacob. “It’s about being logical. We have only six girls at the moment. Not to get too graphic but, if we want this community to continue, that makes you guys incredibly important. Plus, if the Crazies come—trust me—you guys will be tops on their targets. Getting you girls onto the boats and out of harm’s way will only make it easier for the rest of us to fight.”

  “Jacob’s right, Kaylee,” said Porter. “This isn’t about you guys not being able to protect yourselves. I mean, you’ve proven that you can survive. This is about something else…and I’d rather not say exactly what.” He looked down, blushing. “But we’re going to need you girls to…to…”

  “It’s okay, Porter. I understand.” This was a difficult topic for me, as well, but I was determined to be mature about it. “You’re talking about babies.”

  “Oh god,” said Porter, putting his head down on the table in embarrassment. Josh and Kieran, meanwhile, looked at each other, trying not to giggle.

  Only Jacob would meet my eye. “You’re right, Kaylee,” he said. “We’re talking about babies. Of everyone in this tribe, there are only six people who can have them sometime in the future. Which makes each and every one of you girls important.”

  I could feel my defenses going up. While I knew—logically—that everything they were saying was correct, it still made me feel…trapped.

  “We’re not going to be baby-makers,” I warned them. “You guys better figure that out right now.”

  “We’re not talking about that,” Jacob maintained. “Whether any of you get pregnant in the future will be up to you. But the fact continues that—you’re the only ones who can.”

  “Like that makes any sense at all,” I grumbled. “Having babies when you’re going to be gone at eighteen.”

  “And I’ll say it again,” continued Jacob. “Whether you girls have or don’t have babies is up to you. But we need to consider the possibility, because I can guarantee you that—up in Crazy-town—Brandon and his psychos are thinking the exact same thing.”

  I shuddered at the thought. “But when we escaped…there were other girls in that football stadium—girls we went to high school with—good girls. If the Crazies have them now—are you saying that they’re using them…for that?!”

  Nobody spoke; even Jacob wouldn’t meet my gaze, instead looking down at the table—ashamed.

  “This sucks!” I groaned, thoroughly depressed.

  “I’ll bet you’re wishing right about now that we guys didn’t come back,” said Kieran.

  I looked over at Jacob. He still hadn’t looked up, but I could tell that he was interested in my answer by the way his shoulders had tensed up.

  “Well, I won’t lie,” I said. “It’s complicated having boys around. And I definitely wish that guys like Brandon were gone. Plus, the thought of having to be protected because I might be a baby-maker is really annoying and kind of disgusting. But if it came down to having or not having you guys…” Jacob looked up at me, then—his ice-blue eyes boring into mine. “Well, you’re important, too…I’m glad you’re back.”

  For the first time during the meeting—Jacob smiled.

  * * * *

  Gradually—over the next two weeks—a type of routine established itself.

  I would attend daily Council meetings, while Jay worked in the Medical Center. Often Hannah would join Jay, helping to make beds or organize the medication shelves.

  Shawnee, on the other hand, would invariably be out with Rhys’ Raiders, rampaging across the Point, training for a battle that I hoped would never come. Her evenings were usually spent with her brother, Wester—scavenging nearby houses or simply talking quietly in a corner of the compound.

  Meanwhile, Cherry—to the surprise of all of us—had become a farmer.

  Whether it was because of Wandy or simply that she liked working in the dirt, Cherry was a daily fixture at Frank’s farm—planting seeds, digging up new ground, or pulling weeds. She would come home just after dusk, her face dirty, soil under her fingernails, and a smile on her face. I asked her once what she liked so much about farming.

  “It’s peaceful,” she answered. “And nobody dies.”

  * * * *

  Cammie, of course, went back to the library.

  There had already been a room in Jacob’s mansion that Porter had assigned to house the community’s books. Cammie had built on that, appropriating two other rooms nearby and instructing all of the Locals to bring in each and every book that was found during scavenging trips.

  I would pass by the library late at night, only to see Cammie—lit by candlelight—surrounded by piles of books, slowly and carefully cataloguing them before placing them onto the shelves she had organized. Sometimes Connor would be helping her. At other times, I would see Pauly—not so much helping, as getting in the way.

  One night, I even saw Kieran, moving silently down the rows of books, counting. Cammie was directly opposite him, counting down her own row of books. At one point, they stopped to look at each other, and Cammie reached out and touched Kieran’s cheek.

  “They’re falling in love.” I turned to find Nate, standing just behind me.

  “Wonder how Pauly feels about that,” I mused.

  “Not good,” he said, honestly. “But, I guess we gotta’ expect that it will happen again and again, considering.”

  “Considering what?”

  He shrugged. “Considering that boys and girls fall in love. Sometimes you’re loved back, sometimes you’re not.”

  * * * *

  Even though I saw Jacob almost every day at Council meetings, I rarely had a moment alone with him. He was almost always surrounded by guys who needed to talk to him—or checking out the community’s defenses with Kieran and Connor.

  I found that I missed my private moments with Jacob. It was difficult to sit across from the boy I love, yet not be able to be with him.

  In a way—it felt like I was back in high school.

  * * * *

  Sometime, however, right around the third week of November—just after we had finished supper—there came a loud rapping at the front door of our house. Thinking that it must be one of our guards, coming to ask a question or to talk about a security issue, I threw open the door without even checking through the peephole.

  “And what if I was a Crazy?!” demanded Jacob. “Did you even think to bring a weapon?” He was standing there, so puffed up with irritation that I found it funny.

  “Only my facility with words,” I threw back. “Watch them cut and make you bleed.”

  “Whatever,” Jacob frowned. “Can I come in?”

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “Perhaps I should call my armed guards and get their approval first.”

  “Very funny,” growled Jacob, pushing his way pas
t me.

  “You’re in a mood,” I said, pulling the door closed behind him.

  “Kaylee, you opened the door without knowing who it was and you didn’t even have a weapon on you!”

  “Maybe I already knew it was you, Mr. Grouchy-pants.”

  That stopped him. “Did you?”

  “Know it was you? No…but, I could have.”

  Jacob sighed, frustrated. “Kaylee, you have to take security seriously,” he insisted. “Do you not understand how easily someone could break in here? Brandon comes through that door because you didn’t check first and you’re not going to be able to stop him.”

  “Oh, I’ve got some moves,” I said, cheekily.

  Jacob reacted quickly—faster than I’d ever seen him move before.

  In only a moment, I found myself flat against the wall, my hands immobile behind my head. Jacob’s body was pressed against mine, his breath hot against my cheek.

  “Show me your moves,” he ordered, menacingly.

  “Stop it,” I whispered, flustered.

  “No, Kaylee…show me your moves…now!”

  I pushed against him.

  He didn’t budge.

  I pushed harder.

  If anything, the pressure of Jacob’s body against mine became even stronger. “Now, do you get it?” he asked. “Now, do you understand what can happen?”

  “I get it!” I snapped, feeling foolish—still trying to push him away. “Just get off of me before I call the other girls!”

  Immediately, Jacob stepped back. “I’m sorry…I just wanted you to understand.”

  “Understand what?” I cried, becoming angry. “That guys have more body strength than girls and that you can push us around?!”

  “That’s not what I was trying to show you,” he protested.

  “Or that you can do those things to us any time you want?!” There were tears in my eyes and I rubbed my arm across my face, almost as if I could wipe away my humiliation. “Well, guess what…you got your point across. Thank you very much for that lesson!”

  I attempted to walk away, but Jacob blocked my path. He didn’t touch me; indeed, he placed his hands in the air, away from me.